The match
by White Tigresss
Summary: A not so friendly volleyball match turns out bad for Ali. What can Emily do to help her?
**Hey guys! As you wait for the next chapter of Crazy in Love, I'll leave this one-shot here, lol**

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Alison asked from the backseat of Ezra's car. It was Saturday and they decided to do something great on the weekend for a change. Spencer suggested they went to her lake house and Hanna immediately required they take their boyfriends. Then, Spencer said no one could sleep on her Nana's couch - an inside joke Alison didn't understand.

"We'll be there in fifteen minutes, Ali," Aria smiled from the passenger seat. As soon as they settled the meeting, they also decided who was driving who. Spencer and Toby were going alone in his truck, Emily was taking Paige (ugh), Hanna and Caleb. Therefore, Alison was left behind with Aria and Ezra. It bothered the blonde that it seemed everyone was taking their partners. Also, it made her upset that Emily never talked about the night they spent together.

"I don't remember it took that long to get there." Alison commented absentmindedly.

"Oh, it's because Ezra is slow as a turtle!"

"Hey!" He whined.

"Love you, baby!" Aria squeezed his cheeks and kissed him and Alison rolled her eyes.

"Guys, I'm over here!" Seriously, it was so strange to see Ezra kissing Aria. Maybe it's because Alison has been there before, but she knew that hooking up with an older guy meant trouble. She'd make sure Ezra walked in line and didn't hurt Aria this time.

Then, Alison came to a terrible conclusion: everyone had a partner and she'd be an awkward third wheel. Paige and Emily weren't actually together, but what was the point of taking Pigskin if Emily didn't want to hook up with her? Alison felt that she would be better off had she stayed at home.

* * *

Ezra, Aria and Alison were the last ones to arrive. When they did, Spencer was already bossing people around with bags of soda and ice.

"You're here, finally!" Spencer threw her hands in the air in relief.

"Yeah, finally! Can we go to the fun part, like, right now?" Hanna wasn't very happy about having to carry ice bags in her arms.

"No, I need to make sure we've got enough drinks for-"

"Baby, we'll be fine," Toby hugged her from behind, making her relax.

"Okay, let's just put the ice in the fridge and go." Spencer conceded and Hanna silently cheered.

To make things go faster, Ezra, Aria, and Alison decided to help with the bags too. Emily was there picking a few bags when Alison appeared.

"Hey, how was your trip?" Emily asked.

"Terrible. Ezra is a slow driver and he kissed Aria every five minutes." Alison recalled and the brunette laughed.

"Mine wasn't great either with Hanna sing-killing Beyoncé on the backseat of my car." Emily doesn't think her ears have ever bled that much, but it's worth it at the sight of Ali smiling.

But, of course, someone had to interrupt their moment, "Hey, Em, do you want me to take these for you?" Paige, the knight in the shining armor, politely offered.

Emily bit her lip in discomfort, "I'm good, Paige."

However, Paige snatched the bags from her anyway, "No, it's okay, Em, just let me take these!"

"She's annoying," Ali said once Paige left.

Emily just shrugged, "She was just being nice, Ali."

"She was being needy. You refused her gesture and she still insisted."

"I know, but she was just trying to be nice. I don't want to fight with her here," Emily gently tugged Ali's hand, "Do you want me to carry those bags for you?"

Alison rolled her eyes, "Now you're acting just like her."

"No, I'm not," Emily picked only half of the bags, "We're sharing."

Ali playfully elbowed her, but smiled as they walked together to the fridge.

* * *

Half an hour later, the girls are all standing in their bikinis, ready to dip into the lake.

"Guys, don't forget your sunscreen!" Spencer warned.

"Okay, mom!" Hanna poked her tongue and gave the sunscreen bottle to Caleb, "Make sure to spread it well, baby!"

Caleb just shook his head and complied. Suddenly, everyone was rubbing sunscreen on someone else. This made Ali feel like an outcast because no one seemed to care that she didn't have anybody who cared for her. Awkwardly, Alison began to spread the sun cream on her body, doing her best to pretend she was alright. Ali shifted her gaze and what she saw made her want to walk out of the lake house and walk back home.

"Here, let me help you," Paige said as she brushed Emily's hair aside to rub the cream on her back. Oh, how Ali wished to smother Paige for being able to touch her Mermaid like this.

Once Paige set her free, Emily lifted her eyes and saw Ali miserably failing as she tried to rub sunscreen on her own back. She chuckled and walked to Alison, noticing how much her body had grown over those two years. Actually, all of their bodies have changed, but Emily had seen the changes in Spencer, Aria, and Hanna. On the other hand, Ali had been away for some time and Emily half expected her to remain the same. But now, with more curves and fuller breasts, Alison was a heavenly sight.

The blonde noticed Emily was walking to her and did her best to hide her embarrassment. Though, she couldn't help but appreciate Emily's toned, lean body and, God, her legs were to die for. Sooner than expected, Emily was standing in front of her, so close that Alison thought she wouldn't be able to control her hormones.

"Do you need some help here?" Emily gently offered and Ali looked away. The brunette probably was doing this more out of pity than anything else.

"No, I'm good."

"You didn't spread it right," Emily pointed out, moving around so she could rub the sunscreen on Ali's back, "I don't want you to get a sunburn."

"It will be okay, Emily, just-" Alison never got to finish what she was saying because Emily began to rub the cream softly along her back. Alison bit her lip to muffle a whimper for the swimmer's hands were so fucking skilled.

"Excuse me," The brunette politely asked and, one second later, Alison knew why. Emily's hand slid under the strap of her bikini, spreading sunscreen there. Alison didn't complain, though; how she wished Emily would just slide her hands forward and cup her breasts. Emily's touch is magical, that's for sure.

"Hey there, happy couple!" Aria waved at them, interrupting their little moment, "Let's go into the water"

Emily blushed and stepped away from Alison, who whispered a very quiet 'thank you' in return.

"Aria, leave them alone," Ezra giggled, "They're as red as tomatoes."

"Besides, they're not even a couple," Paige commented, determined on not letting go of her bone.

"Okay, guys, let's have some fun here," Spencer commanded and they finally left the house with the intention of making the most out of the weather.

* * *

Two hours later and Alison was bored. She was just lying there getting a tan while the rest of their friends were so enrolled with their partners that they barely took notice of her. Spencer and Toby were discussing the best way to build sandcastles as Aria and Ezra talked about the last books they read. Meanwhile, Caleb, Hanna, Emily, and Paige were swimming in the lake. The worst thing was that Emily was having fun with the other swimmer. Paige was chasing her in the water and, of course, Emily was dodging her and laughing through the game. The smile in her Mermaid's face was so sincere that Alison wished she could make Emily smile like that. She wished she could be the one chasing after Emily in the water, but Ali just wasn't a good swimmer and she didn't want to interrupt them.

"Hey guys, I had an idea," Spencer suddenly spoke, "I've got a volleyball and a net. Why don't we play a game?"

Volleyball? Oh no, that wasn't Ali's favorite game. In fact, she hated volleyball. She couldn't understand how people could control the ball using those weird hand movements. On the other hand, everyone seemed pretty excited to play the game, especially Paige. Ali had to act quickly.

"I can be the referee if you want," She prayed her friends would fall for her offer.

"Nah, we're grown up kids," Hanna disregarded, "We know when it's a point and when it's not."

"Ali, are you sure you wanna play?" Of course, Emily was the only one to see through her masquerade of indifference. Sometimes Ali wondered how Emily did that. Was she so easy to read?

"Yes, I'm fine," Alison just shrugged anyway. An innocent volleyball match wasn't a big deal.

Of course, Alison was deadly wrong. The group put up the net and drew the lines. Then, they split into two groups, one with Spencer as captain, the other led by Emily. As Hanna had claimed, both were too competitive and athletic to be on the same team. After all, everybody wanted a fair game.

"Okay, are the captains ready to choose your teams?" Aria asked.

"Sure!" Emily and Spencer nodded while exchanging fierce looks, "Rock, Paper, Scissors!" Emily picked rock while Spencer picked scissors and the swimmer leaped around in happiness.

"Yay! Rock always wins!"

"Now Emily, would you rather go first or have an extra player on your team?" Aria played the referee once again.

"Extra player, obviously!"

"You do know that you won't actually have an extra player on the field, right?" Spencer didn't swallow her defeat in "Rock, Paper, Scissors" that well.

"I know, but having an extra player means that my players will get more rest." Emily argued.

Spencer looked at her as though she didn't understand her logic, "Anyway, I'm going first and I choose Paige!"

"Wow, Spencer is picking to win!" Hanna teased.

"I'd love to be on your team, Em, but Spencer was faster," Paige winked at Emily and Alison tapped her foot in annoyance.

"Don't go easy on her, Paige!" Spencer pushed.

"Well, it's my turn now and I choose Hanna!" Emily declared and Hanna pulled her into a hug.

"I knew you'd pick me first!" Hanna gushed.

"Of course! You're my best friend!"

"Okay, you two can make out later after I win this game. I pick Toby!" Spencer offered her hand to her boyfriend.

"Aria!"

"Thank you, Em, you're my new best friend," Aria hugged Emily and teased Spencer, "No more team Sparia!"

Spencer was about to reply when Toby tugged her hand, "Remember now that you'll choose one and leave the rest for Emily, baby."

"I want Caleb. You can have the rest, Em!"

Caleb joined Spencer's side and Emily was left with Ezra (much to Aria's rejoice) and Alison.

"Okay, team meeting now!" Emily called her squad, "I want you to have fun today, but let's kick Spencer's ass if we can!"

"Bitch, kicking Spencer's ass is my new definition of fun!" Hanna joked and they all laughed but Alison.

"Can I sit out?" The other blonde shyly asked.

"Of course you can!" Emily squeezed her shoulder, "Now, let's kick some ass, team!"

"Let's kick some ass!" They repeated like it was some kind of motto. Outside the lines, Ali invoked that Emily did kick some ass so she didn't have to play the game.

Caleb was the first to serve and he just put the ball in the game. Aria easily set the ball to Emily, who gave it to Hanna. If Aria surprised Alison with her skill, Hanna didn't. The blonde didn't know how to attack and merely dipped the ball, but Paige blocked her. However, Ezra went for a dig and Emily set the ball for Aria, whose strike was off-speed, deceiving Spencer, but not Caleb. He passed the ball to Paige who set it to Spencer but, finally, Emily blocked her.

"Wow, what a rally for a start!" Emily punched the air after she scored the point. After watching this point, Alison realized one thing: they might not be pro, but they were fairly better than she was. Emily's team needed to keep winning.

"Remember: your team does not rotate!" Spencer screamed from across the net.

It was Ezra's turn to serve. He just put the ball into the game as gracefully as Caleb did, making things easier for Toby to handle the ball. Spencer set the ball to Paige, who spiked the ball and scored.

"It's not gonna be that simple!" She provoked.

Then, Spencer served the ball with a powerful strike. Luckily, it was so strong it went out.

"You'll need a better aim than that if you wanna beat me, Hastings!" Emily joked and her team rotated. Ali tried to stay out of the game, but Emily caught her, "Come here, Alison, it's time for you to play!"

"Okay," Alison sighed and prayed she survived this game.

"Your time to serve," Emily gave her the ball and smiled, making Ali feel a little more confident. Her serve was terrible: she went for an underhand serve so weak that it hit the net right in the middle.

"Underhand, Ali?! Seriously?!" Hanna shouted from outside the lines as she was the one who went out so Ali could play.

"You'll need much more strength than that if you wanna beat me, Fields!" Spencer teased back.

Paige served the ball and, like Spencer, she had a powerful spike. On the other hand, her aim was better and her target was Alison. The ball came so strong that Ali lost control and it rebounded, flying outside the line of Spencer's side.

"Ace!" The other captain screamed.

"Ali, bend your knees," Aria instructed, "It will help you control the ball."

"Don't worry, Ali, it happens," Emily tried to calm the blonde, but all she did was put more pressure on her.

"Keep going like that, Paige! That's the rhythm!" Spencer supported Paige's aggressiveness and the other brunette just smiled.

"Of course. I play to win," Then, she served the ball again with another powerful spike. This time, however, Emily appeared in front of Alison and defended the ball. Ezra set for Aria's dip. Paige went for a dig and Caleb set the ball for Paige, who spiked it powerfully again. This time, Ezra defended the ball and Aria set it for Emily.

Alison watched as her Mermaid spiked the ball with all her might. However, Spencer heroically defended it and Toby set the ball for Paige. The other swimmer flew and Ali swore she smiled before she spiked the ball exactly on Ali's direction. The spike was so strong that Alison couldn't even protect herself or dodge it. The ball hit her straight on the nose. Ali swears she's never felt so stunned as she crumbled to the ground.

"Yes! Hit 'em with your best shot, Paige!" Spencer was clouded by her drive to win that she ignored the fact that Alison was hurt.

"Alison, are you alright?!" Emily rushed to her side and lifted her chin, "Your nose is bleeding!"

"I'm fine!" Alison hissed, feeling more humiliated than ever before. She didn't need anyone's pity.

"Paige, this is a friendly match, not a fucking Olympic game!" Emily raged, wrapping a protective arm around Alison.

"She should've handled the ball if she didn't want to get hurt," Paige smirked almost evilly, making Ali feel even more self-depreciated than before.

"That's it," The blonde pushed Emily's arm away, "I'm done with this shit!" Then Ali ran off to the house in spite of Emily calling her name.

"One down, four to go!" Spencer continued to mock, still oblivious that things have crossed the line.

A furious Emily kicked the ball into the water, making the rest of the group gasp, "This game is over," Emily declared before following Alison into the house.

* * *

Alison ran away to the only place she could be alone inside the house: the bathroom. She locked the door and pressed a few sheets of paper to her nose to stop the bleeding. However, the pain was overwhelming because the paper felt as sharp as a thousand blades in contact with her skin. The bleeding wouldn't stop. Ali wasn't sure what she was doing wrong but it only made her feel even more frustrated than before.

She was incompetent. So incompetent she couldn't even wipe her nose clean or play a friendly volleyball match. Her friends were all probably laughing at her. Emily's team must be winning now that she wasn't there to let the ball drop.

And then Emily would win and brag about it to Paige, who would swoon and tell Emily how amazing she was, how beautiful she was. And Emily was going to fall for her again because, you know, Paige is the knight in the shining armor. Paige could give her the world while Alison couldn't even play volleyball right. Paige was athletic, caring and she was there for her when Ali wasn't. It was just a matter of time until Emily got back with her again.

"Ali? Are you inside?" To her surprise, it was Emily knocking on the door. It didn't matter, though, Ali thought. Emily was only there to make sure she was okay and then she would go back to her game, the one she needed so much to win.

"Go away!"

"I'm sorry for what happened! Please, let me in!" Emily replied from the other side of the door, "Please!"

Alison was sure of one thing: Emily Fields is her weakness because she didn't have the power to say no when her Mermaid begged. She reluctantly opened the door, feeling embarrassed of standing in front of Emily with a bloody nose.

Emily heaved as though she wasn't expecting the blonde to open the door. She knew how stubborn Alison could be. Not that she'd actually give up on her – Emily would stay outside the bathroom door until Ali allowed her in.

"I-I brought some ice"

"Thank you," Alison wiped the blood away once again and felt disgusted at herself. Emily didn't need to see that scene. After all, Ali was a mess of blood, tears, and a swollen nose right now. She surely didn't look very pretty and she didn't want Emily to see her in that state, "You can leave now."

"You're doing it wrong," Emily blurted out and interrupted her train of thoughts.

"What?"

"Tilt your head back and then place the ice on your nose. I think you should use a towel as well, so your clothes don't get all wet." When Emily said 'wet', Ali thought of one very specific thing that only the brunette could cause to her body.

"Ali, are you alright?" Emily interrupted her daydream, "Did the spike make you dizzy or something? Tell me if you're about to faint so you don't take me by surprise because-"

"I'm fine, Em. Just a little light-headed," Emily sounded so worried that it made Ali's heart flutter. It's almost as though someone cared about her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Thanks for the ice pack," Alison took the pack and tilted her head back as Emily had told her. However, when she did so, her head spun around and her feet staggered. Ali was sure she would've fallen hadn't a pair of strong and secure hands grab a hold of her waist.

"I think you should seat," Emily walked her to the living room and made her sit on the couch. The brunette's hands never left her waist. Alison was grateful for that, not only because Emily's touch was incredible but because she honestly thought she'd fall without Emily supporting her.

"I'll get another towel for you," Emily went to the kitchen and only then Alison realized they were still in bikinis. Wow, Emily's ass must be the new definition of the word sexy.

The brunette came back with a clean towel, "Excuse me," She respectfully asked before brushing the cloth softly on Ali's face. She was marveled at the way Emily looked so concentrated when cleaning her skin. Emily was always so gentle, so considerate of her that she made Ali fluster.

"There, there, you're all clean. You can remove the ice if you want," Alison was so concentrated watching Emily that she didn't even notice when the swimmer was done, "Ali, are you okay? Are you sure you're not feeling dizzy?"

The blonde shook her head, realizing she had been staring for too long, "I'm fine."

"Good," Emily answered and they fell in silence, just awkwardly staring at each other.

"You didn't have to do this," Alison shyly spoke.

"Of course I did! You are hurt!"

"I made you lose your game," Ali felt tears gathering in the corner of her eyes again.

"I care about you, Ali, more than this stupid game!" Emily instinctively held her hand, "Paige shouldn't have spiked the ball like that."

"It's not her fault, Emily. I should've defended the ball."

"It was a friendly match, Ali. That spike was too strong."

"I don't want you to fight with Paige," Actually, Ali didn't want to get in the way of Emily's happiness. She knew Emily would go back to Paige sooner or later. Paige was the one who's been there for Emily when Ali wasn't. She had no right to require the brunette's affections.

"She hurt you and she didn't even apologize. Of course I'm gonna call her out on that," Emily replied.

"I don't want to get in between you two..."

She expected a pause before Emily answered, but the response was immediate, "Wait, what?"

"She makes you happy, Emily. I don't wanna ruin that."

"Paige and I are not together, Ali."

"But you want to," The blonde accused, "You want or you wouldn't have brought her with you."

"I didn't invite her, Ali! Spencer did!" Emily revealed, making Alison open her mouth in surprise, "For some weird reason, she wants us to get back together."

The blonde took a while to recover from her shock, "And do you? I mean, do you want to be with Paige again?"

"No!" Emily joggled her head because the idea was absurd, "I love someone else," She hoped Ali would catch the hint.

"Oh," Ali's voice dropped, both in relief and disappointment, "Who's the lucky girl?" She began to think of the possibilities. Maybe it's that Sydney girl - Emily did seem to be spending a lot of time with the her. Their relationship might have blossomed into something more, for all Ali knew. And Sydney was pretty, with her wavy brown hair, her full lips, and her athletic body. Alison lost her chance, that's for sure.

"She's standing right in front of me," Emily gazed into her blue eyes and Alison blushed furiously. She in nothing resembled her old Queen Bee self.

"M-Me?"

"You."

"A-Are y-you s-sure?"

"I am," Emily replied with confidence and surprised Ali with a careful kiss. The blonde tensed at the sudden act for just one second before melting into the kiss. Carefully, Emily tilted Ali's head and continued the lip lock. Alison followed and wrapped her arms around the swimmer's neck.

"I bet I'm not the prettiest sight right now," Ali recoiled.

"You have the prettiest swollen nose in the world," Emily playfully touched the tip of her nose.

"You goof!"Alison rolled her eyes and pulled Emily back to her lips. The brunette kissed her back gracefully as her hands slid down Ali's sides. The kiss deepened and the girls fell onto the couch. Emily was driving Ali insane with her touch, making her think of how fucking skilled those hands would be somewhere lower. Her Mermaid's body was mesmerizing and Alison knew she had to stop before they got carried away.

"Em... We have to stop."

"Why? Emily pouted adorably.

"Because you look too hot in a bikini and I don't know how to resist you," Alison checked out Emily's breasts tightly squeezed in her top. She wondered how soft they would be, how erect those nipples would grow at her touch.

"Then don't," Emily huskily spoke on her ear.

"Oh, you'd better!" They heard a voice coming from the door and jerked on the couch. Much to their dismay, Spencer, Hanna, and Aria were there, "No one's doing it on my Nana's couch!"

"W-We weren't!" The two of them blushed and denied in synchrony.

"Please, I can smell your hormones from here," Hanna rolled her eyes.

"Hanna, we don't need details!" Aria squealed.

"Anyway," Emily cut off, unable to hear their friends talk about the situation they caught she and Ali on, "How long have you been watching us?"

"Since you told Ali she's got the prettiest swollen nose in the world," Hanna remembered the words with taste. She loved to make Emily and Alison uncomfortable.

Emily blushed furiously and hid her face in Ali's shoulder, "God, that's so embarrassing!"

"Not as much as it is cute," Spencer smugly replied.

Alison stroked Emily's hair, slightly relieved that no one has jumped at her for hooking up with Emily yet, "Why did you come here?"

"To check on you. That spike was really strong," Aria replied, making Alison bury her into Emily's hair in shame.

"Ali, it's okay," Emily noticed that Ali was still distraught and pulled the blonde to her chest.

"I'm sorry for your nose, Ali," Spencer apologized, finally back to her senses, "I feel partially responsible for leading Paige to spike the ball so hard."

"Where is she, by the way?" Alison didn't want to go out and find Paige still lurking around with those mocking eyes.

"She got mad that Emily followed you and left," Hanna mocked, "Crazy bitch."

Alison wasn't sure if she should be relieved that Paige had left or concerned in case the taller brunette was already scheming her revenge. As if sensing Ali's anxiety, Emily kissed the top of her head, managing to calm her.

Aria realized they were having a moment and wanted to give them some space, "Guys, we'll be dipping our toes in the lake if you need us."

"They definitely will," Spencer glared, "I don't want anyone making out on my Nana's couch!"

"Spencer, can you please let it go?!" Emily's patience was running out because she and Ali needed to talk and they just couldn't while their friends were there. It was bad enough that they were caught making out already.

"Relax, Em," Hanna winked, "Spencer can't grow past the image Caleb and I defiling that couch. Which we will definitely do again." Now Ali understood the inside joke. She laughed.

"Gross, Hanna!" Aria used that as an excuse to drag her two friends out of the living room.

"Hanna Marin, I will murder you in your fucking sleep!" Spencer yelled and chased after Hanna, effectively leaving Alison and Emily alone.

"I can't believe we got caught," The blonde pulled her face away from Emily's chest and spoke.

"I can't either. But, aside from my cheeky lines, it was funny!" Emily joked, making Ali laugh as well until she bit her lip and shrunk.

"Do you think they will be okay with.. us?"

"Yes, they will, especially Aria. That girl wouldn't stop babbling about how I should go and talk to you about how I felt."

"And why didn't you do so?"

"Because I was afraid you didn't feel the same," Emily quietly confessed and Ali held her hand.

"I was afraid that you didn't feel the same as well. After that night-"

"I know, I was an idiot. I ignored you because I was scared that you were using me again. But I know you're different now, Ali," Emily kissing Ali's hand reverently.

"I'm sorry for treating you the way I did when we were younger, Em. My feelings for you, they scared me. They still do. But I've spent two years without you and I can't be away from you anymore."

"Me neither," Emily agreed and pulled her in for a chaste kiss, "Your nose is less swollen now."

"Thank God," Alison smiled and hugged Emily.

"Hey, hey, you two are taking too long," Spencer complained from outside the house, causing the girls to pull away and laugh.

Emily intertwined their fingers and asked, "Can I swim with you in the lake?"

"Only if you stay by my side. I'm a terrible swimmer too!" Alison admitted.

The brunette giggled, "Then let's not race," Swimming quietly has never been Emily's forte but it only felt natural with Alison.


End file.
